The artist Claudia Pagès (Barcelona, 1990), has won the XVIII Illy SubstantaTin of Illycaffè.
The awarded work is built from Two creations where the space memory is represented, using historical inscriptions and symbols found in old walls. The artist’s starting point was the inspiration arising in the Aljibes de Xàtiva. The work explores issues such as history, water, memory and representation of protection spaces, such as walls and castles, as well as the interaction between space and time.
The practice of Claudia Pagès uses handmade paper sheets to create intricate constructions that evoke the story. Its inspiration comes from the proximity of old paper factories to places where historical inscriptions are still preserved. From this connection his two works ‘Wall of two faces’ and ‘Xàtiva’, which are presented as filigree labyrinths.
The light plays a crucial role in its work since, by emanating from inside a box, it reveals the hidden plot of memory, illuminating the stories that lie on paper. For the young Catalan, This use of light symbolizes the need to illuminate the past To avoid being lost in oblivion, highlighting the fragility of both memory and paper.
Claudia Pagès is Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and has a MFA for the Sandberg Institut (Amsterdam). His work has been exhibited in places like Manifesta 15, Barcelona (2024); Ivam, Valencia (2024); Sculpture Center, New York (2024); CA2M, Madrid (2023); Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2023); Tabakalera, Donostia (2022); Vleeshal, Middelburg (2022); Macba, Barcelona, (2022); Capc, Bordeaux (2022); Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig (2021); Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE (2018). Més de Dues Aigües, has been published in Catalan for narrative empuris in 2024, and in 2025 he will publish a new book with Wendy’s Subway. Pagès has been awarded with a visual critical eye Arts Award in 2022, and has been a residence artist in Gasworks, London (2017) and in Triangle France, Marseille (2020). During the months of March and April 2025 he will be a resident artist in EMC, Troy, United States. In 2025 his work can be seen in Chisehale, London; Index, stockholm; Mumak, Vienna; and in a collective exhibition cured by Chus Martínez in Art Sonje Center; Seul, Korea.
The prestigious jury composed of relevant figures of the world of art and culture, As Imma Prieto (Direttrice della Fundació Tàpies), Javier Díaz-Guardiola (art critic of ABC and coordinator of the art section of Cultural ABC) and Mariano Mayer (independent art curator). Accompanied by Carlo Bach (artistic director of Illy) who talks about the project with emotion and enthusiasm, “in Illy, we firmly believe in the transforming power of art and we are sung of being able to support and celebrate the talented emerging artists in Arcomadrid.”
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